We had a crawdad festival in town this weekend and ended up with some alligator. I need to know how to cook it. the stuff they cooked was very dry and tough I hoped I could find another way to prepare it.
Also had some fine cajun music as well. Something different for Arizona.

I have a great picture of a 23' alligator recently caught !!! I'll bet you don't have a big enough pot for that one !!

Mete
Oh yea I do its call a horse trough, but I'm not sure what I would do with 23 feet of cooked gator. The town ain't that big.

Don't Know what part of the gator you got but some parts are better than others. There are two tenderloins that run down each side of the tail. Simply cut in one inch slices, dip in mustard and cornmeal and fry. For the rest there are some stews that it can be cooked in and will help to tenderize it.

ALLIGATOR SAUCE PIQUANTE #2
1/2 pound lard
2 pounds alligator meat, defatted and cubed
Creole seasoning
1 cup flour
2 cups onions, coarsely chopped
2 cups celery, sliced
2 cups bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 29 ounce can tomato sauce
1 29 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 - 3 teaspoon dark brown sugar to taste
2 cups chicken stock
2 - 3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon sweet basil
1 - 2 teaspoon salt
1 - 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Alligator meat needs to be very free of fat because the fat tends to give the meat that very strong, gamey taste, and becomes rancid rapidly. I have found that washing the meat well in cold water helps eliminate some of the very strong taste.
Season the meat well with Creole seasoning, or another blend of your choosing, and brown in lard. Remove the meat and make a roux using the fat and an equal amount (about a cup) of flour, cooking it to a medium brown color. Add onions, celery, and bell pepper. When pot is cooled somewhat, add garlic and saute vegetables over medium heat until tender. Add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, and enough brown sugar to cut the acid taste of the tomatoes. Season to your own taste and simmer until thickened and meat is tender. Serve over rice.

Yield: 8-10 servings.